<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>336 Hours by eponlne</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26240839">336 Hours</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/eponlne/pseuds/eponlne'>eponlne</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>SKAM (France), SKAM (Netherlands), WTFock | Skam (Belgium)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/F, Inspired by The Holiday (2006), M/M, Social Media AU</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 12:33:42</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,665</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26240839</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/eponlne/pseuds/eponlne</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>eliott demaury needs a break from his hectic life in paris, whereas engel lallemant yearns to get away from a certain person in her small town near amsterdam. an impulsive decision causes the pair to swap homes for the holidays, ready to escape their problems yet unprepared to encounter the most interesting people they’ll ever meet.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Eliott Demaury/Lucas Lallemant, Noor Bauwens/Engel Beekman</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>56</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>Engel made her way to Olivia’s house which was only a twenty-minute walk away, yet the hot July sun managed to elongate each passing second by a magnitude of three. She didn’t mind though, heart happy and excited to see the girl that had owned it for the past four years. </p><p>Olivia had been her first crush, first love, first girlfriend. Girlfriend until she caught Olivia making out with Jayden at Engel’s 16th birthday party, leaving Engel with a broken heart and a crowd of shocked guests. She recalls it as the worst day of her life, yet every time she looked into Olivia’s eyes she felt nothing but love for the girl. She couldn’t help it.</p><p>The front door was ajar, letting the sound of laughter from within travel to the outdoors. Shame settled into Engel’s joints as she knocked thrice on the wooden door, embarrassment painting her cheeks scarlett when the door inevitably pushed open from the force of each tap to show all three of Olivia’s friends staring at her in confusion. </p><p>“Is Olivia here?” she asked, flashing the wide grin she always wore around anyone other than her own reflection. “She told me to come to take our history project home.”</p><p>“She’s in the garden with Jayden being disgusting as usual. Go ask her.”</p><p>Engel glanced out the window to see Olivia setting up fairy lights on the top edges of the fence while Jayden’s face was hidden in her neck, arms wrapped around her waist. She felt her soul ache at the sight, envy and misery seeping into her every pore until the forced smile was finally wiped from her face. She couldn’t go out there. Her heart wouldn’t allow Engel to break it further. </p><p>“It’s fine,” Engel muttered in response, trying hard to ignore the lump forming in her throat. “I’ll just look for it, she probably put it in plain sight for me and I was too blind to see it,” she chuckled humorlessly, looking around the living room. And there it was, tucked beneath a bowl of crisps on the table. “I’ll get going then, have fun tonight,” she smiled after grabbing their project, legs desperate to walk away and never look back. </p><p>Engel was so tired of being led on by Olivia for the past two years, enduring all the flirting and compliments during class in hopes that one day she would get her back, only to find she had chosen the boy she also chose on the day of her sixteenth. Engel was so tired of being cast aside as the second choice. Seeing them together had hurt Engel in more ways than she could ever describe and she was finally tired of feeling miserable.</p><p>Engel needed a break.</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. 0 hours</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>For the first time since she can remember, Engel felt nervous. </p><p>Not nervous in an <em> ’Olivia is talking to me I hope I don’t do anything dumb’ </em> sort of way, but in an <em> ‘I’m alone in a big city and if anything happens to me there’s nobody I know that can help me’ </em>kind of way. She had gotten used to living on her own this past year, with Lucas finally off at university in Amsterdam and their father constantly travelling the world for work, but at least she could always count on Janna and Yasmina and the lovely woman next door if she was ever in need for help. In Paris she was completely alone. A part of her was beginning to regret this impulsive trip.</p><p>Engel followed the bright signs hanging from the airport’s ceiling until they led her to a queue for taxis, a piece of paper with Eliott’s address clenched tightly in her hand as she awaited her turn. </p><p>Everything was beautiful. </p><p>The sodium street lights lit up the roads in a gorgeous golden hue, revealing the hundreds of people that rushed up and down the pavement with determination in their eyes. Each one of them carried themselves with a sophistication unseen to Engel back in her hometown. She loved it.</p><p>Eliott lived on the fifth floor of an apartment in the centre of Paris, located by the trendy district of Sentier. Engel was pleased to find that the architecture matched those of her <em> ‘travel’ </em> pinterest board, joy settling into her cheeks as she looked at one of her lifelong dreams come true. She felt nervous as the fancy lift pulled her up to Eliott’s floor, nervous as she searched for Eliott’s strategically hidden key, nervous as she pushed it into the lock. But this wasn’t an apprehensive kind of nervous. It was the excited kind.</p><p>Eliott on the other hand was faced with a dimly lit motorway and plain-looking roads on his journey from Amsterdam to the town whose name he had already forgotten. Not like he was in the mood to enjoy the Dutch scenery anyway. His flight had a two hour delay and his luggage took an unnecessarily long time to show up on the carriage belt, giving Eliott plenty of time to spend alone with his thoughts. Thoughts of Lucille were sure to dampen his mood.</p><p>He regretted the three years of his life wasted by Lucille’s side, but what he regretted the most was not breaking up with her sooner. Their love had faded long before last night's scandal, the only thing tying the one to the other was the unwillingness to be alone. Neither of them wanted to start fresh and get to know someone again. Well, perhaps only Eliott felt that way since Lucille had already started to spread her wings.</p><p>Something that stood out to Eliott was how calm the town appeared to be despite it only being 10 o’clock on a Friday night in July, though it wasn’t something he minded. He wanted to get away from anything that reminded him of Paris. </p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>Lucas rolled his eyes as a thread of messages from his sister came through, begging him to leave. He read them as he knocked on the door for the hundredth time, ready to kick out the weird guy that had convinced Engel to let him stay at their house. Not like it was hard to put ideas like these in her head.</p><p>The door finally opened and the person behind the wooden frame was not someone Lucas was expecting to find. He was expecting a scrawny eighteen-year-old he could flick out of the house with ease, not <em> him </em>. Lucas suddenly forgot the lines he had scripted in his mind seconds prior to finding himself before the good-looking stranger. “Hello,” Eliott said somewhat awkwardly, “Engel isn’t here. She’s in Paris,” he explained. </p><p>“No I know,” Lucas rushed, confusion settling into the man's eyes upon hearing his response. “I mean, I didn’t know until like thirty seconds ago, she only <em> just </em> told me,” he elaborated, holding up his phone to back up his words. “I’m her brother, Lucas.” </p><p>“Eliott,” he introduced himself with an amused smile, taking a step back into the house. “Don’t just stand there, come in.”</p><p>Lucas felt like a stranger in his own house, keeping to the walls as he looked at the spread laid out on the coffee table. Two bottles of wine and an almost burnt pizza.</p><p>“It’s been a rough few days,” Eliott explained with a soft chuckle once he noticed Lucas analysing his meal. “So, uh, Engel never told me I’d have a roommate.”</p><p>“Yeah, uh, that’s because I didn’t tell her I was coming. I sort of just show up to annoy her for a few days then I leave.”</p><p>“Spontaneous, I like it,” Eliott smiled, hands digging into the pockets of his jeans. “I’m gonna grab my stuff and go find a motel or something to crash at, sorry for bothering you.”</p><p>“No, stay, don’t worry about it,” Lucas insisted, the small ounce of confidence he had gained manifesting itself as a desperate plea. “I mean, I’d hate to waste food, and you seem like you’re willing to eat an almost charred pizza,” he added with a shy smile, watching Eliott’s eyebrow perk up in surprise. </p><p>“As you wish.”</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>updates will not always be this quick but i just felt like the first chapter alone was not enough to give this fic justice! hope you've enjoyed reading!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
</p>
<p>Engel tightened her ponytail as she analysed her appearance one last time, ready to discover the city through a sportive point of view. Being on holiday doesn’t excuse not completing her daily run. She grabbed her water bottle and keys before leaving the apartment of her dreams, spending the next thirty seconds waiting for the elevator to arrive. The doors split open to reveal a girl.</p>
<p>The first thing she noticed about her was her short hair, dyed black and chopped just below her jawline. The second thing she noticed was the bold red colour on her lips, something she had only ever seen Zoë sport around school at this time of the morning. The third thing she noticed was that she was pretty. A kind of pretty which Engel would never dare to replicate, yet undeniably beautiful nonetheless. </p>
<p>“Come in,” the girl told Engel, reaching down to cover the sensor with her hand so that the lift wouldn’t shut. “Plenty of room for the both of us.”</p>
<p>Engel smiled softly as she stepped into the tight space, laughing nervously when their fingers reached simultaneously to push the ‘close door’ button. “Thank you.”</p>
<p>“Don’t worry about it.”</p>
<p>During the forty second descent to the lowest floor, Engel struggled to pull her eyes away from the pretty stranger. </p>
<p>She noticed her chipped black nail polish as she tapped her fingers against her phone, presumably to the beat of the song playing through her headphones. She noticed her head bop slightly too. She noticed the artsy pattern on her shopper bag, one of those line drawings of silhouettes she often saw while scrolling through instagram. </p>
<p>Everything about her reminded Engel of those who often intimidated her, except this time she felt intrigued. </p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>Lucas walked warily down the stairs towards the strange noises in the kitchen after being woken up by the relentless buzzing caused by his sister’s texts. He peeked his head around the doorframe to analyse the situation first, body not knowing how to deal with what he just saw. </p>
<p>Eliott stood at the end of the kitchen, chest exposed, biceps flexing as he struggled with the coffee machine. He looked hot. “Do you, uh, need any help?” spoke Lucas once he finally gained the courage to walk into the room.</p>
<p>Eliott nodded, looking over at him with an embarrassed smile. “Can’t get the coffee maker to work,” he explained with a nervous laugh. He didn’t move back when Lucas stepped closer to inspect the machine, letting Lucas’ back brush against his chest. </p>
<p>“Have you tried plugging it in?” he teased as he grabbed the plug and pushed it into the socket, the small screen at the front lighting up within seconds. </p>
<p>“Right,” Eliott chuckled, raking his fingers through his hair. “Over here you have to plug them in.” Lucas hummed, giving him an amused look before pointing him to the small selection of capsules his house had to offer. </p>
<p>“So, uh, how long are you staying here?” Lucas asked casually, searching the cabinets for the nicest of mugs for Eliott to drink his breakfast out of. </p>
<p>“Eight hours,” he replied, popping the coffee pod into the machine. “I was supposed to stay for two weeks, but, guess I woke up this morning and I wasn’t really feeling this whole little trip anymore. Flight leaves at 9.” </p>
<p>“Was it so horrible to wake up by my side that you decided to flee the country?” Lucas teased Eliott once more, though a small part of him was convinced that was the reason for his escape back to France. </p>
<p>“Yes, that’s exactly it,” he agreed with the same playful tone, the easiness of their interaction causing something to flutter in Lucas’ chest. He didn’t want Eliott to leave just yet. </p>
<p>“Well, in case you change your mind and feel like staying the whole two weeks, or your flight gets cancelled or something, my friends and I are going down to the pub for some drinks tonight. If you’re up for it,” Lucas offered, unable to tear his gaze away from Elliott’s eyes despite that being all his nerves wanted him to do. He saw the edges of his lips tug upwards from the corner of his eyes.</p>
<p>“I’ll think about it.”</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>Engel struggled for a good five minutes trying to open the door to the building, none of the keys on the metal ring seeming to fit the lock. There was one key that fit, but no matter how many times she twisted it the door refused to budge. </p>
<p>“You’re supposed to pull the door towards you as you turn the key to the left,” a voice explained behind her. Engel looked back to see who exactly was the helpful stranger, surprised to find the pretty girl from this morning. </p>
<p>She followed her instructions and the door pushed open with ease, the coolness from within escaping to meet the warm air outside. “Thank you, I’ve been locked out for way too long,” Engel chuckled, holding the door open for the girl to pass through first.</p>
<p>“Don’t worry about it, same thing happened to me,” she dismissed, walking towards the row of elevators. “I’m Noor, by the way.”</p>
<p>“Engel, lovely to meet you,” she grinned, following her into the lift. She felt surprised when Noor pressed the number for Engel’s floor before she had the chance to do it herself.</p>
<p>“How long ago did you move here?”</p>
<p>“I haven’t, just staying here for two weeks. Flew in last night,” Engel told her, checking her reflection in the mirror as the lift began to rise. </p>
<p>“That’s cool. I moved in with a couple friends a year and a half ago.”</p>
<p>“That’s cool,” Engel repeated, subconsciously hoping that mirroring her use of language would make Noor deem her as her equal, someone worthy of conversing with beyond the elevator walls.</p>
<p>“I’m having a party tomorrow night,” Noor said as they reached Engel’s floor, lifting her leg up to place her foot between the two doors to prevent them from shutting prematurely. “You should come.”</p>
<p>Her invitation caught Engel off guard, not being used to getting invited to places just like that. She nodded with a grin, fiddling with the keys in her hand. “Okay.”</p>
<p>“Cool. Floor nine, apartment three. See you at ten.” </p>
<p>“See you at ten,” Engel affirmed.</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>There were three pubs in Lucas’ town. One in the outskirts, two in the relatively busy centre. Eliott had already popped into two, looking around for the brown head of hair his fingers had been yearning to tangle in since last night, only to end up empty handed. Luck hadn’t been on his side lately.</p>
<p>Eliott stepped into the third establishment, excitement tingling down to his fingertips as he scanned the room. His eyes landed on Lucas, laughing with his friends as he held onto his second beer of the night, and suddenly Eliott felt out of place. He didn’t want to crash their night of fun.</p>
<p>However, something compelled Lucas to look towards the door and suddenly their eyes met, his features trying to hide their excitement upon seeing Eliott after a moment of disbelief. </p>
<p>Eliott raised his hand slowly to wave softly at Lucas, who motioned for Eliott to come over to their table. He felt his legs walk before he had the chance to think about it, eager to get closer to the cute Dutch boy that had compelled him to stay.</p>
<p>
  
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>A small part of Lucas’ ego was hurt at his friends acting like they didn’t believe that last night’s events were true despite there not being a single speck of fiction in what he had described to them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He was drunk, but not enough to forget Eliott. Not enough to forget the flirtatious teasing at the bar. Not enough to forget that walk home through the dark streets, listening to Eliott ramble about the film he watched on the flight up to Amsterdam and about how annoyed he was that he hadn’t had the chance to watch the final thirty minutes, claiming that the latter part of any film was always the best. Not enough to forget the tension every time their hands brushed each other, Lucas always being the one to quickly retract it despite Eliott seeming unfazed by his touch. Not enough to forget the way he hovered close behind him as he pressed the key into the lock. Not enough to forget tripping over Eliott’s carelessly placed suitcase, nor the warmth of the hand that gripped his shoulder to steady him. Not enough to forget turning to Eliott to express his thanks but being unable to pronounce a single sound the moment Lucas’ eyes met his. Not enough to forget the way Eliott’s hand slowly made its way to the back of his neck. Not enough to forget the way he kissed him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Morning,” Eliott said as he walked into the living room. Lucas jumped at the sound of his voice, not so noticeably he hoped, feeling as though he had been caught doing something he shouldn’t have. “Feel like actual shit, don’t you?” he chuckled, rubbing his eyes with his fists.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah,” he replied with a barely-even-there laugh. “Just your average Sunday morning.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliott hummed, disappearing off into the kitchen for the next few minutes. Lucas spent that time trying to immerse himself into the first sitcom he could find. His brain wasn’t in the mood for thrilling crime series, it needed to relax with the help of simple plots packed with innuendos that occasionally pulled a small laugh out of him. Eliott came back to sit down by his side, holding out a mug of coffee towards him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Saw you didn’t have one, thought you might want some,” he explained, smiling as Lucas took the mug from him. “I don’t actually know how you like your coffee so I just guessed, but if it tastes like shit then you don’t have to have it,” he clarified.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lucas took a careful sip, feeling Eliott’s eyes analysing his features for any kind of reaction. “It’s good,” he told him with a kind smile. “Thank you.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It tasted like utter and complete shit.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You hate it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t!” Lucas insisted, taking another sip to prove his point. The fact that Eliott had bothered to make him a cup of coffee out of the goodness of his heart was enough of a reason to say a white lie and pretend to enjoy the drink. Plus, Lucas had tolerated putting much worse down his throat over the years. “It’s good, I promise.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliott eyed him for a few seconds, seeming unconvinced by his words, before diverting his attention to the TV.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“About last night–”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t even worry about it,” Lucas interrupted, unwilling to listen to Eliott tell him about his regrets. “I was drunk, you were drunk, it won’t happen again.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh,” he heard Eliott mutter. Lucas hummed in response, silently asking him to finish his train of thought out loud. “No, nothing, I agree. Just wanted to make sure that we’re on the same page, about how it wasn’t a big deal or anything. We all do stupid things when we’re drunk.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Lucas agreed, choosing to ignore the way his heart pinched at Eliott’s choice of words. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t get me wrong though,” Eliott compulsively added a few minutes later, hating the awkward silence they had been left in. “It was good, you know? It was fun. I just, I’m going through some personal stuff, and we’re in this weird situation where we live together? I just thought it would make things easier, for both of us, if we stuck to being friends. Or whatever weird acquaintanceship we have going on,” Eliott explained.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It wasn’t completely a lie. Eliott </span>
  <em>
    <span>was </span>
  </em>
  <span>going through some personal stuff that should anyone else have been in his exact predicament, they wouldn’t have even considered dating again until the seasons changed. He also </span>
  <em>
    <span>did </span>
  </em>
  <span>think that keeping things platonic would make things easier for them both during his stay. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It just wasn’t what he </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>wanted.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eliott didn’t know why, but all he wanted to do was be consumed by Lucas’ touch. He had planned to come to this desolate town in hopes of some peace and quiet, in hopes of wallowing in the pain Lucille had left him in without anything that could remind him of her. Instead, barely two hours into his holiday, a certain Dutch boy had decided to knock on the door and ruin all of his plans. And he didn’t mind it. In fact, Lucas was the perfect distraction.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Lucas was someone new, someone whose thoughts and behaviour he couldn’t predict, and he liked that. Eliott enjoyed the thrill of the unexpected, the lack of familiarity, the feeling of being unknown. Last night, he spent the whole time wondering if the looks Lucas gave him were truly filled with desire or if he had just imagined it, and he liked that. Whenever Lucas would quickly pull his hand away whenever they brushed, Eliott wondered whether they were just nerves or if he hated being touched, and he liked that. He liked the mystery and wonder surrounding the boy drinking coffee by his side, and all he wanted to do was ponder. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He liked getting to know someone new.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s cool, I promise. I’m quite damaged in this area myself, and I wasn’t expecting us to like, get married or some shit after one night,” Lucas chuckled, giving Eliott a reassuring look. “Besides, we hardly know each other.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, I wouldn’t exactly say that,” he muttered with a small, playful smile upon seeing the way Lucas’ fingers tensed around the handle of his mug. “Anyways, I just wanted to assure you that you’re better off.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay,” Eliott agreed, mentally cursing himself for making this interaction far more awkward than it should have been.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Barely ten seconds after sending that last message to the group chat, Engel’s phone screen had been taken over by an incoming facetime call from Yasmina. She knew she had to answer her best friend’s call or she’d never hear the end of it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Engel, what the fuck?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yasmina,” Engel sighed, sitting up on the couch. “I’m not in the mood.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t give a shit about whether you’re in the mood or not,” Yasmina reprimanded with a sharp tone. “I’m not letting you waste your holiday in Paris, the city of your dreams, with doing some bitch’s coursework instead. You made the rash decision to fly over to Paris to get away from her, and what are you doing instead? Being Olivia’s whipped little servant. You’re supposed to be looking at paintings at the Louvre, or asking strangers to take artsy pictures of you by the Eiffel Tower, or posting about all the </span>
  <span>crêpes </span>
  <span>and croissants you eat on your story. Not writing a fucking essay for someone else.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thought you said that going to Paris was a dumb idea, now you want me to have fun?” Engel muttered in response to her long rant, choosing to ignore the main topic of the conversation. She knew Yasmina was right, she just didn’t have the willpower to turn her words into actions. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Engel…” Yasmina said and sighed, her expression changing like the flick of a switch from annoyed to sympathetic. “You can talk to me, you know? I want to understand you, and everything that’s going on.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t know, Yas,” Engel shrugged before leaning back until she was laying down on the sofa, head propped up by the soft armrest. “There’s not much to understand. I just, I’d feel really guilty if I stood in the way of Olivia succeeding in whatever she does, especially knowing that with my help she’d get there. It’s just an essay, and I barely have to do any work for it, just have to improve what she’s given me. I’d do the same for you, or Janna, if you needed any help with French.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“But it’s not just this essay and you know it. There’s so many little things you do for her and you get nothing in return.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s what friends are for, I guess. They do things without expecting anything in return.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t think Olivia sees you as her friend.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was a long pause after that. Engel knew Yasmina was right, for Yasmina was always right, but it didn’t hurt any less. She knew she was being silly for hoping that one day, after everything Engel had done for her, Olivia would begin to care about her the same way Engel cared for her. But that never stopped her from trying.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay, Engel, do you know what you’re going to do?” Yasmina asked softly, finally breaking the silence. Engel shrugged her shoulders at the screen, waiting for her friend to continue. “You’re going to get up, to put on the cute clothes I’m sure you’ve packed, do your makeup really nice and head up to the party. If you really want to write that essay, do it tomorrow. But don’t let Olivia stop you from having fun.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Will you help me pick out my clothes?” Engel questioned quietly, in that gentle yet shy way that would almost always receive in return that tender look Yasmina gave her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Whatever you need.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There were at least five people already cramped into the lift by the time it reached Engel’s floor, so she decided to follow the music up the stairs instead. Her nerves increased with every step she took until she reached a point where she couldn’t differentiate the quick pounding of her heart and the beating of the bass. Engel had never gone to a party alone, let alone going to a party filled with people she hadn’t met before. Usually, whenever her friends left her, Engel would cling to her one acquaintance and work her way out from there, usually leaving with a few more friends than she came with. In this case, she didn’t have the option of an acquaintance, and Engel didn’t think that the host would appreciate her time being taken up by her foreign neighbour. This time she had to be assertive, even if it scared her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was easy to determine in which apartment the party was held without needing to read the flat number; the door was wide open, colourful LED lights could be seen flashing to the beat of the song from within, and a handful of people were standing around with drinks in their hands.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The party didn’t look much different from the ones she usually attended back home, yet here it seemed as though great thought and effort had been put into every outfit. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You came!” Noor grinned when she spotted Engel walk through the door, engulfing her in a hug. Engel was taken aback by her warmth and familiarity as she hugged her like she had known Engel all of her life, but she didn’t mind it. “Drinks are over on that table, there’s some cheese pizza too if you’re up for it. Cake’s later though so make sure you stay for that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Cake?” Engel questioned somewhat confused, for cake was only ever served at birthday parties. And that was when it clicked and Engel’s eyes widened in realisation, feeling stupid for not noticing the pile of presents in the corner sooner. “Oh my God, it’s your birthday? Happy birthday! I had no idea, I promise.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s okay, I never told you,” Noor reassured dismissively, unable to help an amused laugh from escaping her lips. “But thank you. Anyways, get yourself a drink and have fun, everyone here’s really friendly so you don’t need to feel shy or anything.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay, thank you.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And with that, one of the reasons Engel decided to even show up at this party was gone, excited to have fun with the people she actually knew.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>
    
  </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>sorry for the relatively long wait! hope you've enjoyed this chapter nonetheless!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>